ReoPro pen

This is front runner for the "tacky yet functional award." Seriously, wearing this much glitter hasn't been popular since the 80s. This is the kind of pen Cyndi Lauper would use to write her lyrics with, assuming she wrote any of them. Not a big fan of the color scheme. The pen itself though, is a run-of-the-mill Bic, with no cool features, but no aggravating ones either.

Maxipime kit

Another one I've never seen before. But it's got crayons, stickers and band-aids, which combination just oozes the bright cheer of a pediatrician's office. Very fun, though I admit I won't be getting much use out of crayons in my day-to-day practice.

Norvasc pen

As cheap pens go, this one is amazing. I love the feel, and the slim body doesn't take up too much space. Nothing special, writing wise, but it doesn't skip. I'm currently using it a lot.

Integrilin pen

This is an ok toy. It writes well, but like quite a few of the pens I've reviewed recently, it feels cheap and flimsy. Still, not bad, and certainly better than the Tekturna pen.

Janumet clipboard

Judging from the reps around here, Merck is pretty excited about Januvia and its sister combination drug, Janumet. A few weeks ago we had the Post-it note pen, and here's the latest I've seen, a clipboard. My complaint about this clipboard is that the writing surface is actually smaller than an 8.5x11 piece of paper, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Also, as with drug toy ID tags, I don't like carrying such blatant advertising around with me.

Arixtra pen

This is pretty nice pen in terms of writing quality, and the triangular feel is fun. But I'm not a fan of foam grips on pens, mostly because they are bulky and keep the pen from sliding in and out of a pocket easily. This one's going to be given away.

Tekturna pen

Tekturna is a novel new antihypertensive. The biochemistry is interesting on its own, but trying to assist the hype is this pen, which is pretty solid, and writes decently well. Unfortunately, the clicker assembly on top is very cheap feeling, gets stuck easily, and threatens to break if used regularly. Sorry Novartis, I'm not spreading the message with this one in my pocket.

Rozerem linen spray

I guess Rozerem thinks this fits with their program because a linen spray is (I assume) intended to render the smell of your linens conducive to sleep. Now it is no secret to readers of this blog that I haven't been impressed with the scents chosen by other drug companies for their products, so on a positive note, this is the least outrageous smell yet. Mostly it smells like hairspray, with a hint of an unidentifiable floral derivative. Not a winner, but not ghastly.

Coreg CR pen

This is a nice, basic pen. It writes well, and while it's nothing special, at least there are no bells and whistles interfering with function. That means I'm much more likely to use it.

Januvia Pen

Merck is pulling out all the stops for this one. Their newest diabetes wonder drug, with a singular pen design I haven't seen before. There are Post-It notes right there in the handle. It isn't bad at writing either.

Back

We now return to approximately weekly postings.

Rozerem facemask

Rozerem has really odd commercials that I don't understand at all. Perhaps one would need to be an insomniac to ken what a talking beaver playing chess has to do with sleep. But this facemask is actually quite nice, as trinkets go, and certainly stands out from the pack of drug rep toys.

Viagra pen

Another one that fails to live up to the legacy, perhaps even legend, of great Viagra pens. This pen's clip is flimsy, and the end part that holds it on is so loosely attached that clicking it closed quickly will pop the top of the pen off. Not impressed.

Short Hiatus

Due to a combination of drug rep presentation scheduling with the hospital and a long-needed vacation, Drug Rep Toys will be updated infrequently for a few weeks, with regular posts returning by July 1 at the very latest (since our residency programs schedule most the visits). Fret not, gentle readers, I'm rather attached to this blog, and I won't stop posting forever.

Avandia monofilament

This is a drug rep toy that not only useful, but its use pertains to the drug. Avandia is useful in some diabetes patients, and one of the most important things to check in them is their sense of fine touch. A standardized monofilament is best, and this one has its own case, into which it retracts. I like this toy a lot.

Levitra Reflex Hammer

Not the greatest reflex hammer out there, for sure. Far too lightweight, in fact you might get better results with some of the pens I've reviewed here. The only good thing about it is the microfilament for light tough testing that can be extruded from the handle. But I'm sticking with the one I picked up at the med supply store.

Benicar Post-it notes

Just basic post-it notes, tough to go wrong here.

Namenda hand sanitizer

I don't know what it is with drug reps and hand sanitizer, but all of them are taking bad advice in the fragrance department. Whoever picked this one needs to be told that "nail polish remover" is not a winning odor. Thumbs down, way down, on this toy.

Aggrenox pen

This is an excellent pen. Heavy, wide bodied, with ink that doesn't skip. I'm currently using it as my primary pen.

Cardene Flash Drive

This is a neat little flash drive. When plugged into a computer, that little gray oval near the keychain loop lights up red. Very distinctive. The gift of this number capped perhaps the oddest interaction I've yet had with a drug rep. She seemed genuinely surprised that I had heard of this drug, which has been available for over a decade. Perhaps she was trying to pull off flattery, but she came across as clueless or condescending, I couldn't decide which.